Tadano hands Turkish crane sales and service to Marubeni Distribution and Service
Tadano has appointed Marubeni Distribution and Service as its distributor for Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Georgia, giving the manufacturer a ready-made service network in a market it has been absent from.
An established network rather than a standing start
Marubeni Distribution and Service (MDS) has been trading in Türkiye since 1983, when it began as a Komatsu partner. It now employs more than 280 people, with a head office in Istanbul, an operations centre in Hendek and a technical centre in Ankara, and handles sales, aftersales, rental and used equipment. For Tadano, that removes the usual problem of re-entering a market without support coverage behind the product.
The agreement was announced at a ceremony at the Sheraton Grand Istanbul Ataşehir on 22 May, attended by Takashi Fukui, executive officer of Tadano Ltd., Yusuke Yamada, chairman of the board of MDS, and Burçak Birand, COO of construction and mining machinery at MDS.
“Returning to the Turkish market with a strong and experienced business partner like Marubeni Distribution and Service is a conscious and strategic decision for us. Türkiye is a very important market for Tadano, both for its own potential and its strategic location opening us up to neighboring countries.”
— Takashi Fukui, Executive Officer, Tadano Ltd.
Which cranes MDS is chasing
MDS has already identified the models it expects to sell. The GR-1000EX-4 rough terrain crane is aimed at mining and infrastructure work; the AC 5.250L-2 and AC 6.300-1 all terrain cranes at the rental trade and tower crane erection; and the AC 7.450-1 all terrain and CC 38.650-1 crawler at wind farm construction. Domestic demand is expected to come from new nuclear plants, on- and offshore wind, a major motorway, a high-speed rail line, industrial zones and government projects including dam reconstruction.
Service before volume
MDS has set up a dedicated sales and aftersales team for the brand, reporting to its construction and mining equipment director, with further sales and technician posts to follow. The distributor also plans to build parts stock, expand training and deploy a mobile service technician who will train other engineers while a dealer network is established.
The reach extends beyond Türkiye itself. MDS supports Turkish contractors working abroad, which could take Tadano equipment into reconstruction work in Syria and Ukraine, motorway projects in the Balkans, railway schemes in Mozambique and Tanzania, and infrastructure work in Gabon and Togo.
“With Tadano, we are not just signing a distributorship agreement; we are realizing a strategic meeting of two established Japanese brands in Türkiye.”
— Yusuke Yamada, Chairman of the Board, Marubeni Distribution and Service
Source: Tadano — Photos: Tadano